With our baby girl due in 3 weeks and all the prep we’re trying to get in beforehand plus trying to wrap some things up in the business and for clients so I can be out on maternity leave, AND completing some house projects, I’ve been feeling like I have a 100 things on the to-do list that all need to get done asap. Ahhhh!

Here’s what I do when I feel like I’m being pulled in a lot of different directions.

First, I always try to document and get things down on paper (or a Google Doc) and out of my head. I think we keep way too much in our heads and when you write stuff down it provides clarity.

So here’s my personal “I feel overwhelmed by everything on my mental to-do list and I don’t know where to begin” process:

1. A brain dump.

I write everything down on a piece of paper of what I’m thinking about that needs to get done. Everything - even the small stuff. Whether it’s for business, personal, all of it.

2. Categorize the brain dump list.

Everything that is for work stuff, I highlight so that work and personal are separated.

3. Determine what’s urgent or important.

I look at each list of things separately on the brain dump list (like just looking at the personal things on there) then I list out on another piece of paper the things that are most urgent to be done. Then, I list out the things from the brain dump list that are most important to least important to be done.

This helps to clarify what’s truly urgent and important.

Usually, there’s some stuff that’s left over that isn’t really urgent or that important and those things are either eliminated altogether or just added to the bottom as an “if I get to it."

And if it’s for work, I add these items to my Trello board and label them. If it’s personal, I keep it in my notebook.

This is what has worked for me seeing it written out on paper. Hope this helps you implement your own process for when your to-do list feels never-ending!